The invention relates to a record player comprising a pick-up arm adapted to be controlled by a command disk and, an overload coupling arranged between the pick-up arm and the command disk; and more particularly to such a player in which the coupling comprises two coupling members which are pivotable relative to each other about a common axis against spring force starting from a neutral position, a first of the coupling members cooperating with the command disk and the second coupling member cooperating with the pick-up arm.
A record player of this type is known from German Patent No. 1,248,332, to which U.S. Pat. No. 3,398,963 corresponds. If in such an automatically operating record player the control program, which is governed by the command disk, is disturbed by an incorrect external manipulation, the two coupling members of the overload coupling can pivot relative to each other about the common axis starting from the neutral position and the cooperation between the command disk and the first coupling member on the one hand and the pick-up arm and the second coupling member on the other hand ceases. When the incorrect operating condition has terminated, the two coupling members can return to the neutral position under spring force. As the spring used in this known construction is disposed eccentrically relative to the common axis, the coupling members are more easily centered relative to each other in a first direction than in a second opposite direction.